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Dwindling electricity imports spark big hopes for the future
Once considered a far-fetched fantasy, Botswana’s dream of becoming self-sufficient in power generation continues to gather momentum.
According to the latest figures from Statistics Botswana, electricity imports went down dramatically over the second quarter (July – September) of the financial year.
In a ‘power cut’ of epic proportions, volumes of electricity dropped by a massive 65 percent from the 463, 171MWH imported in the same three-month period back in 2021.
The 162, 340MWH imported this time around was also substantially less (55.8 percent) than the 367, 001MWH from the first quarter (April – June).
The decrease is attributed to improved power generation locally, with production sparking up from 638, 501 MWH in the opening quarter to 937, 597 MWH in the second quarter.
Morupule Power Station produced for the lion’s share, at 99.3 percent, while Matshelagabedi and Orapa Emergency power plants chipped in with 0.4 and 0.3 percent respectively.
Eskom remains the main source of Botswana’s imported electricity, accounting for 46.5 percent, with Southern African Power Pool a distant second at 32.7 percent.
Cross border electricity markets, Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited and Nampower contributed 17.1, 1.9 and 1.8 percent between them.
Whichever way you look at it, the numbers make for promising reading as Botswana slowly positions itself as a potential exporter of power to the Southern African region.
